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Camera Lucida™: AR Drawing

Camera Lucida™: AR Drawing

Camera Lucida
Released: 2010-03-20
© Camera Lucida ™
Camera Lucida™: AR Drawing - QR Code
£14.990%
Version 17.1
4+
Download on the App Store
£14.990%
Version 17.1
4+
Download on the App Store
Released: 2010-03-20
© Camera Lucida ™

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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Description

Draw Like a Pro with Camera Lucida™: AR Drawing
One-Time Purchase: No subscriptions! Buy it once and use on your devices.
Enhance Your Art Skills: Whether you're sketching with a pencil or painting with a brush, Camera Lucida™ helps you become a better artist.
Unmatched Functionality: With 12+ years of development, Camera Lucida™ offers features that no competitor can match. Create stunning physical art using your iPhone or iPad's camera. Simply point your device at your drawing surface, and watch the screen to see your reference image superimposed over your work. It's more versatile than a light table, better than a projector, and easier to use than a traditional Camera Lucida™.
How It Works: Place your iPhone or iPad between your eyes and your drawing surface. The app shows a virtual image on your screen, guiding your hand as you draw. This clever method makes it easy and fun to create detailed art.
Top Features:
• Buy it once for lifetime use.
• Advanced Image Filters: See with an artist's eye.
• Zoom in Lock: For ultra detailed drawing.
• Session Save & Restore: Automatically realign your camera, sketch, and reference image.
• Full Color Palette Control: Use your own paints, markers, and more.
• Camera Adjustments: Use your device camera and adjust for different setups manually or with an in-app purchase to auto-adjust.
• Time-Lapsed Recordings: Share your drawing process on social media.
• Advanced Tools: Vertical split screen sliders, timed image fading, and more.
• Video Tutorials: Watch tutorials within the app or on YouTube.
• Comprehensive User Manual: Accessible from within the app.
• Reliable Customer Support: Plus, an active user community for inspiration.
• External USB Camera Support: For USB-C equipped iPads running iOS 17.
Easy Setup: Secure your iPhone or iPad above your drawing surface using common household items like a stack of books or a vase. Tutorials are included to help you get started.
Contact: For any questions or support, email cameralucida@bigidesign.com.

What's New in Version 17.1

The professional choice for assisted drawing!
Version 17.1 has been recompiled to take advantage of the newest iOS 17 features, and some minor graphic designs have been updated including a new app icon.

Seller

Name

Big Idea Design LLC

URL

https://cameralucidaart.com

Information

Developer

Categories

Version

17.1

Size

57.5 MB

Game Center

No

VPP Device Licensing

Yes

Rating

Rated: 4+

Compatibility

iOS 12.0 or later

Devices

iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, iPhone 17Pro, iPhone 17ProMax, iPhone Air, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro, iPad Pro (Cellular), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) (Cellular), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air (Cellular), iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 (Cellular), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini Retina, iPad mini Retina (Cellular), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 (Cellular), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 (Cellular), iPad mini (5th Generation), iPad mini (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi), iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th Generation), iPad (9th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th Generation), iPad mini (6th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPod touch (6th Generation), iPod touch (7th generation)

Languages

English

App Store: Customer Ratings

Ratings & Reviews

4.9 of 5 (301 Ratings)

App Store: Customer Reviews

2023-10-20

An excellent tool

I am very pleased to review this app as it is very well designed and easy to use.
Whether or not it is used for drawing it has many other useful tools.
As an artist and teacher of art I have recommended this to all of my students and all have found it useful.
Muses reality
2023-09-20

Great App

If you love art this is your new best friend.
Frank Machin
Version 15.3
2023-08-23

Miles ahead of anything else

What a brilliant app. I have been drawing and painting for decades and normally drew a grid for accuracy. Not anymore. Camera Lucida is the perfect solution. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
More than that, the designer interacts freely with users and take all comments on board. This app is the genuine article and is a very rare creature in this day and age.
durenn
Version 15.1
2023-08-15

Absolutely love it

I use it all the time and wouldn’t be without it. Excellent the way it helps me with detail and proportion. Thoroughly recommend it
Mind The Gap Too
Version 3
2023-08-07

Drawing app …. It’s the best

I started using this app 3-4 years ago and I honestly I think it’s the best out there and not that it’s always getting upgraded but if you’ve a problem the owner/designer is on hand to help you …. Don’t get that with any other app … 5star fantastic app 👌
sam12030
Version 11.0
2023-07-24

Excellent at doing what it claims

Developer is very helpful , and there is also an excellent Facebook group to help with queries and problems.
Valamo81
Version 10.1
2023-07-20

Phil Lewis

I’ve been using the Camera Lucida app for over three years and find it an absolutely invaluable tool to create artwork of any size from A5 to A2. Would never be without it now.
TELSTAR1
Version 9.1
2023-07-20

Absolutely excellent!

I have to say this is the best app purchase I’ve ever made. I use it all the time, it really really helps me map out the drawings for my watercolour paintings. I find it invaluable for portrait work. It doesn’t replace drawing, but it sure does help getting scale and proportions right.
salhead
Version 15.0
2023-07-20

Highly Recommended for Improving Your Art Skills.

This App is an asset for everyone from Novice to Expert. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. It will knock years off your learning curve. Even if you think you can’t draw a straight line….you will amaze yourself and friends once you uncover your hidden skills with the help of Camera Lucida. 5 Star Rated for Good Reason.
Oundle Lighthouse
Version 13.0
2023-07-20

Love it

I have this app a few years now and it just keeps getting better. The support you get is second to none .
marue price
Version 5.2
2023-05-17

Absolutely superb

An excellent drawing aid that keeps evolving, growing ever more sophisticated. Importantly, I have found support is prompt and very helpful. I cannot recommend CameraLucida highly enough.
Sonosuser51
Version 6.0
2022-12-11

Fantastic and easy to use

Awesome app. Developer really cares about our user experience and is so responsive. So many cool and useful aspects to this app. Can’t recommended it enough
Bev Glocs
2022-11-24

Camera Lucida

Absolutely love this app. Does what it’s suppose to.
SDAref
2022-09-04

Excellent app

Looked at various options and discounted Lucy Flex as this app is far better and bought recommended iPad stand to go with it. Superb
Coolwebranger
2022-07-20

The Best Drawing App

Excellent drawing app. With each update it just gets better and better. The toolbox has a number of helpful features. Colour palette and grey scale are particularly useful.
OldBaldyGit
2022-06-19

Excellent app

This is a fantastic app. You can use it as is and get an idea of basic art concepts like shape, value and perspective without realising it or you can use it in so many ways to improve your pencil and paper drawing. It allows you to simplify a photo to between 2 and 12 levels and you can correct line work etc. Peter is very helpful if you have problems and for the money it is great.
jrapprentice
2021-03-08

Excellent art tool

Having struggled to get back in to drawing properly this app has opened up a whole new avenue for me , the out line and perspective can be drawn out in a fraction of the time of freehand and then the fun can begin with the medium of your choice 👍fantastic app well worth the money
toms biggest fan
2021-01-31

Brilliant

This has helped me so much with my prospective drawings in preparation with my acrylic paintings as a budding artist. I bought the gooseneck clamp iPad stand which is so much better for holding the camera while I work. The app is so easy to use with brilliant easy tutorials. Thanks so much
Noeline 0909
2021-01-22

Brilliant help

For anyone who has ever had that “where do I start” moment - this is for you. Great help with the technicalities of drawing enabling you to concentrate on your own personal artistic endeavours.
Fantastic support from the app support designer and great ideas.
Been using it for a long time and improvements are also wonderful.
Cannot recommend highly enough..
NannyLOB
2021-01-21

Really useful tool for drawing

I purchased this a couple of years ago, and it really helped me to improve my confidence in drawing. The help and support Pete offers are excellent and the advice from others is available on the FB page as well. There are devices and stands you can buy to hold the phone or iPad steady, and I have even managed to use it outside on a walk in the Peak District... recommended
Twostring
2021-01-19

Highly recommend

Brilliant app developed by a great guy who works with artists to develop the functionality on an ongoing basis....
KizziAnn
2021-01-19

Highly recommended

Brilliant app backed up by impeccable customer service and help.
Nile Cruises 4u
2021-01-19

The only app to use

There are many imitations of this app but this is the best one to use, don’t bother with the others. From an amateur to a professional artist it’s a great app to use.
CAL P
2021-01-11

Excellent drawing tool

I can highly recommend this app as a great time saver for artists and also for those who want to improve their drawing skills. It’s very easy to learn and the developer provides many useful video tutorials. The app has been very well designed and is excellent value for money. I am a very pleased owner.
I have been using this now for several months and the developer has added even more improvements. It’s absolutely faultless and very easy on the eyes. An excellent app.
hillwakinggirl
2021-01-11

Hand holding support

While there are other tracing apps this one is more like a supportive large family of artists keen to share their experience and knowledge. Peter is still creatively excited and engaged with his app and wants users to have the best possible experience. He will always provide a comprehensive answer to any query. Thanks
donyaski
2020-08-28

One of the best

Works 100% helps with your art saves time with getting the prospective right so you can spend more time with the details ,we’ll worth the money
mal1237
2020-05-23

Impossible to anchor

I’m really disappointed, I’m using my phone & have found it impossible to anchor it in a suitable position to enable sketching. Also it seems if you can manage to balance it on an ‘upside down vase’ you can only sketch a very small image & also the vase gets in the way! What I’d really like, is a refund please.
ArtyLoove
2020-05-22

Fantastic App, and I mean it

In just two weeks I’ve gone from not knowing where to start with a drawing, but I’m really beginning to understand how to structure an image and how to detail it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very much a beginner, but images are now just a challenge and they can be attempted. I’ve even tackled the copying of a pen and ink drawing by Rembrandt. You learn so much by observing the strokes made by a Master.
Sick of it !
2020-05-18

Excellent app

Have found the app easy to use and very useful. An idea that has been used for many centuries and transform by using modern technology. The support for the app is first rate!
Otto1616
2020-05-15

An exciting and enabling app.

This app has me so fired up to produce work I have been thinking about for months. The developer is committed to working with you to achieve what you want
ealteacher
2020-05-04

Camera Lucida

Works great and has helped me create more detailed artwork than my natural drawing ability ever could. Plenty of help available from the app creator, so no reason to struggle to the point of giving up. A top notch app.
Ian1965
2020-02-23

Amazing app!

I use this app to trace designs onto decorated cookies. It’s the best app I’ve ever used for tracing, and I use it constantly for my business. Even my 9 year old daughter loves it, using it to help her make birthday cards, and help her with drawing for school projects. I’ll never use another app for tracing- this one is the best!
Pippa magee
2019-08-27

Really great app

It’s a really great app but can you add some more features to it like colour picker for prismacolor pencils and more camera settings please
SzilardVass
2019-02-01

My Drawing Has Improved 100%

This app has helped me becomes a better artist and improved my drawing skills substantially. Easy to use and the creator is so helpful, any questions he answered simply and precisely.
RayDvD
2018-09-19

Works

Just remember to enable your iPhone or iPad camera! It was initially more intuitive than it is now but still works well. Useful projector for copying 'freehand'.
caymanapple
2017-12-20

Outstanding

This app is a fantastic addition to any artists or designers toolbox. It is intuitive, straightforward and brilliant for guided freehand drawing and painting with precision. In short it is brilliant. I can’t wait for the upcoming update!
Grok1973
2017-01-09

Excellent App

It's worth building a stand for your iPad to use this. Lots of fun and well done.
Galexa
2016-10-19

Brilliant

I found this a great app wonderful technology
Dowla42
2015-01-03

Very clever 10 *

Ok it is pretty straight forward to initially get going with this app and get some basic results. Rather than rush into things have a look at the tutorials and fully understand how much you can do with this and more importantly how to achieve success.
The app is a joy to use made all the better by learning how to use it from the tutorials it is surprisingly easy and gives surprisingly amazing results.
Everything about this is brilliant however if there was an appraisal of its instructions written within a menu option for quick reference then it would be complete.
Still a superb idea brilliantly executed i find it far more effective running it from my iPad. Highly recommended well done to the developers.
Flygy
2014-11-13

Stopped working

Since upgrading to IOS 8 this great app will not stay open worked fine until the update
blazingboots
2014-11-08

Fanatastic

What a brilliant app, for anybody who finds scale difficult this makes it easy. Just about anybody can to take a photograph and make a realistic drawing.
Jimmcoll
2014-06-18

Sliced Bread

This app is the best thing since sliced bread. Some say it is cheating, I say if this type of system is good for the great masters, then it is good for me too.
I also use the iPro lens system which doubles as an excellent way to mount my iphone with a tripod.
M1CXF (Trevor)
2014-02-13

Camera Lucida

This is a very effective tool to help artists with portraits in particular.
Marg Coles
2013-06-11

Fantastic App

If you've read anything about the Camera Lucida and have been eager to try it for yourself. Then this is the App for you. It's simple to use and really helps with learning to draw by developing your hand-eye coordination. I can't believe what I've been able to draw after two short 'sessions' using this App.
I would highly recommend this App to anyone interested in trying out this ancient drawing device used by many great artist (read David Hockney's book Secret Knowledge)
CKUK94
2013-04-16

What happened

Use to be a good app but something's changed and its crap can't trace anything without it all moving
Gilliebeans
2012-09-20

Perfect

As a hobbyist portrait oil painter, working from photographs, I have always used the 'grid system' to transfer a basic sketch to canvas. I've been considering a opaque projector and also thought about tracing from a computer screen to improve my accuracy.
This app has negated my need for any of the above.... it's just perfect for my needs and, having constructed a small stand to hold the iPad steady, it has been instrumental in improving my likeness accuracy and saved so much time. The posterize and options also help greatly in defining the darks, lights and mid- tones.
Some may feel it's cheating ... but then you may also consider tracing from a projected image or even the grid system to be less than purist - not me, any method of recreating a close likeness for portrait painting is fair game in my opinion.
A highly recommended app for all.
griswald1999
2012-09-14

The most incredible app ever

I am an architectural technician and have been prioritising my 2d cad drawing, my freehand drawing was relatively weak. Within 30 minutes of using this app (to do so you will need to find an appropriate stand, I have recycled a desk tidy) I found myself with a fairly strong, accurate perspective drawing, (and that was on a train with minimal light. With practice, time, light and space the results I am certain will be brilliant. I fully understand David Hockney's book on the great masters now. Thank you so much for this incredible app.
Ferguscarr
2012-06-01

Robin Overall

A brilliant concept and one I am glad I bought. I am currently building a camera lucida as a project for an article. The app is easier than the real thing to master. And much cheaper than the commercially available ones.( currently about two suppliers worldwide)
I asked a question and got a very prompt reply which was both courteous and informative. I look forward to a lot of work being done with this app. I see it becoming a drawing tool in the scientific arena as well as recreational. Keep up the good work.
Robin
Hz65j?
2011-04-04

Exactly what I needed.

I was looking for an app to superimpose my drawing over a photograph to check proportions. After reading the reviews for the previous version I was a little reluctant to try this, but, I thought, it's only £1.19. I'm pleased to say that this app has exceeded my expectations. It is easy to use - much easier than a mechanical camera lucida and much cheaper. I can see this being a permanent part of my art toolkit.
DfromE
2010-04-03

Not User Friendly

As a photographer, the idea of drawings from some of the images i have produced appealed, but i find this program a waste of time and misleading, no instructions or tips as to how the program works are given. unless i'm missing something, not only a waste of time but a waste of money. Very disappointed.
David Ew